Free heme is toxic, but also critical as the prosthetic component of hemoproteins such as cytochromes, DNA synthetic enzymes, hemoglobin, and myoglobin, and as a transcriptional and translation regulator of gene expression. Differentiating red blood cells must export heme through a heme export protein called feline leukemia virus receptor (FLVCR; Cell 118:757, 2004) to survive. In addition, macrophages export heme via FLVCR to recycle the heme-iron from senescent red blood cells (see Example 1 hereinbelow). Failure to control free heme and/or maintain an iron balance in cells results in various disorders. The liver likely exports heme via FLVCR to bile then feces, providing a route for iron to exit the body. There remains a need for effective methods of facilitating heme export from cells and to mitigate systemic iron overload.